This, That, and the Other
by Shi-Toyu
Summary: Something goes wrong when Tony and Loki try and incorporate magic into his suits. Suddenly...he's not quite where he should be. Clint-heavy in later chapters. FrostIron. Possible other pairings if wanted.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alright, I don't know how many people are really going to be interested in reading this, but I just couldn't resist writing it. The idea got stuck in my head and was just too fun to resist. I hope you all enjoy! (The few of you there are.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter One

"Okay, okay! Let's try it with this one!"

Tony Stark beamed at his lover as he switched from his newest suit to his older, briefcase model. He and Loki had been trying to integrate magic into his Iron Man suits for the past three weeks. So far, it had all been theory and prep. Now, though, they were finally going to try it out on some actual suits. Tony was super excited, Loki…not so much.

"I am still not convinced this is a good idea."

Tony just rolled his eyes and strode towards his lover to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Relax, Starfruit, everything's gonna be fine."

Loki quirked an eyebrow.

"Starfruit?"

"Yeah, okay, admittedly not my best nickname. Let's move on and pretend it never happened, yeah? That was _my_ plan."

The look he got from the taller man was judgmental at best. However, as so often happened with them, Loki capitulated.

"Very well." He ran a hand over the suit's chest plate, humming softly in thought. "Yes, I believe this material will do better at holding the magic of my spells. It is less conductive than the last few. Perhaps it will be enough to prevent your reactor from absorbing my energy."

That had been their biggest problem so far. Any time Loki had gone to place a spell on one of the suits, Tony's arc reactor would suck the energy into itself and neutralize the spell. The effect was handy when, say, someone was trying to control your mind. When you were trying to add awesome magical upgrades to an already bad ass suit? Not so much. Needless to say, Tony currently just found it annoying.

The way Loki had explained it, in that way of his that mixed science and magic interchangeably and made Tony quiver, was that there were two types of spells. The first type was cast on or by a person or object, but didn't affect them physically, like when Loki would call up a shield in battle. The second type, which included a much larger portion of magic, actually affected the person or object it was cast on. It wasn't just controlling magic, but magic that healed, or helped someone be faster, or turned you invisible.

All magic was made up of energy, drawn from the world surrounding the caster. When a spell was cast, the energy followed it. For example, when Loki had healed the gash in Natasha's calf after the fight last week, he'd pulled energy from around him and directed it at the wound. His will and desire shaped the energy and coaxed it into healing the spy's injury.

"Awesome. Excellent. Good. So we can get with the magic now?"

Tony's hands were pressed together in an almost-pleading gesture, face hopeful. Loki just gave him a level look before sighing.

"We shall start with a small one. I still fear than too much excess energy could overload your reactor."

Tony waved him off with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. What's life without a little adventure? Besides, it's not like you don't know how to replace the thing."

Loki scowled.

"That's hardly the point. I'd prefer your body not suffer the effects of cardiac arrest."

The genius smiled at him playfully, but there was a hint of real emotion beneath.

"Aw, it's so nice to know you care…"

"Though I see it will not be stopping you."

He chuckled.

"As terrifying as talking about our feelings is, it's going to take more than that to put me off making my suit even more unbelievably bad ass than they already are."

Loki smiled indulgently and pulled Tony in for a slow, languid kiss. There was a time for fire and passion, but it was not now. Their lips moved together seamlessly, long ago having learned each other's tendencies. Loki nipped lightly at Tony's lips as he pulled away.

"Very well, dear heart. We shall proceed."

He probably couldn't have gotten a more excited reaction if he'd told a twelve-year-old girl they were going to meet Justin Beiber. Tony gave him another peck on the lips, this kiss quicker than the last, before bouncing back to the platform and rattling off instructions for JARVIS.

He plugged several cables into the suit he was still wearing at different points so they could monitor things like temperature and energy fluctuations. As much as Tony verbally disregarded Loki's warnings about the dangers involved in adding magic to his suits, he actually did pay attention. Never let it be said that Tony Stark was not reckless, but at least he wasn't stupid about it. At least he liked to think so.

"Alright, Loki-dokes! Let's do this!"

With everything set, and ignoring the bubble of worry in his chest, Loki began to draw the magic to himself. They would start off with the smallest of the spells he and Anthony had discussed adding. It was only originally intended to be placed on a warrior's armor, so it would actually work well in this scenario. The spell would add an extra layer of protection to the suit, hardening the metal to block both melee attacks and crushing damage. Tony's suits were great at taking punishment, but he could only make them so durable without threatening the integrity of flight and reaction time.

Loki brushed his hands over the suit, palms flat and a thin layer of magic drifting from them. The magic spread like water across the surface of the metal, settling in providing a base that would allow him to attach his spells. The fact that the reactor did not immediately suck up this power gave him hope that his lover's crazy idea might actually work after all.

With his base layer down, Loki began to weave the more intricate designs of the actual spell. He pushed the runes into the layer of magic surrounding the suit, letting them stick like bugs in a web, trapping them there. The glow of them would fade once the spell was complete, but they would show in brief flashes whenever the spell was activated.

Tony stood rock still as Loki worked, not wanting to break his concentration or disrupt something with the spell. The last thing he wanted was to make the god mess up and have the whole thing, quite literally, blow up in their faces. He'd never live it down.

Loki was nearly done with the spell when things finally started to go wrong. The arc reactor made a little whir of noise and the base layer of magic began to swirl like water going down a drain. As quickly as he could, Loki severed his own ties to the magic. There was no way to pull it back and leaving that connection open would only draw more magic into the reactor in the end. He just had to hope this wouldn't be enough to overload it.

Within moments, a new reactor was in the palm of his hand, summoned from the other side of the room. If things went wrong, he wanted everything he needed to already be nearby. His eyes flickered up to catch Tony's, trying to convey the things he couldn't with words just yet. Things were moving too quickly.

He saw the affection in Tony's returned gaze, but also worry. It wouldn't be the first time they had overloaded a reactor, but it certainly was never a good experience. One of the suit's metal hands came up to hover over the energy core in his chest.

"Loki, something feels differen-"

But Tony never got to finish as an explosion shook the lab. Loki was thrown across empty space to collide into the wall behinds him, putting a small crater into the surface. Clouds of dust filled the air, and panic filled Loki's heart.

"Anthony!"

There was no response as the god scrambled to his feet, a small trail of blood running down the side of his face. It would heal soon enough and he had more important things to worry about. As soon as he found his footing, he waded deeper into the lab once again, stepping around over-turned work benches and twisted machinery.

"ANTHONY! I need you to answer me!"

In the still silence of the room, Loki's mind was clenched by fear. He could already see the outcome of his search. Any moment now, one of his lover's severed limbs would appear before him on the floor. He would slowly find the pieces scattered about, all that was left of the man who had returned him to sanity. He would be alone again, kept company only by the guilt that would wear his soul down into oblivion.

As the dust settled, though, there was no macabre scene revealed. Destruction reigned through the lab, but there was no sign of the genius, once-playboy, billionaire, philanthropist. Both he and the suit were just…gone.

In the depths of Loki's heart, hope bloomed.

A/N: And there we have it! Chapter one! Let me know what you all thought!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow, okay. I got a surprising response to that last chapter. I'm so glad you all have liked it! I've been in a bit of a writing mood, so here's chapter two! (For your own sake, do not expect the next chapter this quickly.)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Two

Tony's world was a blur of sound and motion and color. He felt like he was being stretched apart at the same time as being pushed together. And, really, that was just uncomfortable. His stomach was churning like the morning after a Jager-party back in college. Without warning, his world can slamming to a halt, indicating the man inside the suit had come into solid contact with the ground.

He groaned as the suit rebooted. The main hub flickered to life as Tony stumbled to his feet, trying to find his baring while still encased in semi-responsive metal. Maybe Loki was right and he should stop trying to integrate magic into the suits…it's just that it'd be so _cool_.

The view that greeted his recalibrating brain wasn't of his lab, though. He stood in what appeared to be a clearing in the midst of a thick forest. A tall stone rose behind him and the night sky looked down from above. Funny…he could have sworn it was daylight when he and Loki had been working…

"Don't move! Keep your hands where I can see them!"

Tony's eyebrows rose behind his mask and he turned to look at the boy, no more than seventeen, who was aiming an old-fashioned rifle at him. His hands were steady, meaning this wasn't his first rodeo, but his expression was nervous. Tony was far more interested in what was going on behind him.

What appeared to be a smaller, fully-clothed, grey Hulk was fighting alongside a man and a woman. Their opponent had blood red skin and twisting horns, strongly resembling the devils of legend. Tony had seen a lot of odd things in his time, but he'd kind of still expected his lover and lab this time around. He sighed heavily.

The devil woman struck the man clean across the face, sending him sprawling to the edge of the clearing. His dark-haired partner fired a volley of shots from her crossbow to cover and the small giant moved to block the devil's way as the man regained his footing.

"Damn, I fuckin' hate witches. She couldn't just return the children, could she? Had to go and start a fight."

Well, that certainly cleared up the question of who the good guys were. What it didn't clear up was why he was suddenly staring at a dead ringer for Clint Barton…if he'd decided to raid Fury's closet. (Sans eyepatch.) What did it say about his life that the Clint look-alike was what threw him off the most?

Still, he eyed the fight warily, it would probably be best to end this quickly…and it wouldn't hurt to get on the good guys' good side while he was at it. Smirking, though no one could see it, he raised a hand towards the fight. The boy holding the rifle on him didn't seem to like that.

"I said don't move!"

"Chill, kid. You couldn't do any damage anyway."

Without waiting for a response, Tony fired off a repulsor blast in the witch's direction, catching her in the side and sending her crashing through the trees. He felt a ping in his side as the kid fired at him, but he'd long since perfected his armor against things as simple as gun fire. Instead of reacting, he sent another shot after the witch, wanting to make sure she stayed down.

He should have paid more attention.

A blow slammed down on his shoulders, sending him off his feet again and into the dirt. Mini-Hulk scowled down at him, ready to go for it again if he moved. Tony put his hands up by his head, back still in the dirt.

"Woah, there, big guy! Just trying to help!"

The dark haired woman appeared at the edge of his line of sight, crossbow pointed at him threateningly.

"Ben! You were supposed to be watching it!"

The boy appeared next to her, eyes wide with fear and wonder. He had an excited grin on his face and was all but bouncing on the balls of his feet. The rifle was held loosely in Tony's direction still.

"I was, but the bullet just bounced right off of it! Besides, it helped us, right?"

It wasn't until then that Tony realized they were talking about _him._

"Hey, now! I'm no it! I'm a he and I would like to be addressed as such!"

He pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the threatening growl from Tall, Grey, and Grumpy. Making sure to proceed slowly, he brought his hands up and disengaged the locks on his helmet, letting the whole thing fold back to reveal his face and head. He gave the group a winning smile.

"I know, I know, you weren't expecting a face this handsome behind that mask. Brains and beauty; they're my burden to bear."

Clint's doppelganger smirked and leaned towards the woman.

"Do you think we should get him a mirror? He seems a bit confused…"

Tony's features turned to a scowl and he pointed imperiously at the man.

"Alright, birdbrain, I am so delaying your new arrows for that." Realizing what he'd just said, he waved off their confused looks. "Nevermind. Forget I said that. Mind telling me who you are?"

The woman was scowling. It was clear she was the more serious of the two. The man, like Tony himself and Clint, dealt with situations with humor rather than aggression or seriousness.

"We don't introduce ourselves to constructs. Edward, go secure the witch."

Tony snorted as the Hulk's little brother lumbered off after the devil woman he'd shot down. So much for getting a thank you.

"Constructs? Right, the suit. Hold on…Just gimme a second. Jarv, can you get this thing off me?"

There was no response, no dry British accent in his ear, and Tony found himself scowling right along with the woman. Either something was wrong with his system, which didn't appear to be the case, or he was far enough away that JARVIS couldn't reach him…meaning not of Earth.

Well, that certainly put a different spin on things.

"Okay…back up plan. Pep, can you hear me?"

This time, a pleasant female voice responded to him.

"Oh, Tony, what did you get into this time?"

He felt almost insulted by the resignation in the voice. He also completely ignored the startled looks of the group he was facing. On second thought, talking to a disembodied voice probably wasn't the best way to convince them he wasn't some magical construct.

"Ouch, Pep. That hurts. Do you really have so little faith in me?"

"If you didn't want me to act like Pepper, you shouldn't have programmed me to."

That made him crack a smile at his emergency back-up system.

"I guess that's true. Listen, can you get me out of this suit?"

"Sure thing!"

"Thanks, Pep, I knew I could count on you."

With a series of whirs and clicks, the suit began to disengage and fold backwards from his body. Within moments, his suit was sitting next to his feet in briefcase form. He smiled at the group still holding him at gun, er, weapon point.

"See? Just your average joe. Well, maybe not so average, but certainly not a construct."

"Who was that you were talking to?"

"Pepper? She's an AI, Artificial Intelligence. I built her to be in all my suits."

The woman was scowling again, but both the man and the boy looked interested.

"You made her? With magic?"

"No, no! Science! Despite what Loki might insist, they are not the same thing. I invent things. It's what I do. Tony Stark, at your service."

He swept into a bow as he introduced himself. If they weren't on Earth, these guys probably had no idea who Tony Stark was. What a tragedy. At the very least, Tony could take some comfort in the way the man's eyes were lighting up with fascination.

"Hansel. This is my sister, Gretel. This is Ben, and the big guy over there is Edward. We're witch hunters," he grabbed the rifle from the kid, Ben, and flicked it, causing the barrel to fold up into itself, "and I'm a bit of an inventor myself."

"Hansel!"

Gretel's disapproval was obvious, but her brother smiled it off as easily as Tony so often did with his PA-turned-CEO.

"Relax. He's an odd one, but he doesn't look like a fire construct to me. Clearly, that witch messed up somewhere."

"Is that what I'm doing here? I have to admit to being a bit confused by this all."

"We got here just in time to interrupt the witch's ceremony. She was trying to summon a fire construct, but you showed up instead. The spell must have latched onto something and pulled you here."

Tony hummed distractedly, thinking back on the conversation he had just had with Loki about how magic was energy.

"It must have been my arc reactor. It had just absorbed a spell Loki was using to try and supe up my armor. The excess energy must have been what this ceremony reacted to."

Gretel seemed to tense up all over again. (And weren't those just the weirdest names ever. Tony should get a medal for not having asked about a candy house yet.)

"You're friends with a witch?"

Oh, right.

"Well, princess isn't exactly a witch. Not like…" he waved in the direction of the fallen trees, "that. And we're not exactly friends…"

Hansel laughed and thumped the genius on the back, clearly understanding where that was going.

"Don't worry. We know there are good witches out there. I'm sure your girlfriend is lovely. Now, what's an arc reactor?"

Tony figured it would probably be okay not to correct him about Loki's gender. No need to complicate this situation any further. Instead, he tugged his shirt up to reveal the magnet in his chest.

"Unlimited power source that keeps me alive. I built it myself." Cue trademark smirk all over again. "Yeah, it's pretty cool."

Hansel's grin spread across his entire face.

"Oh, yeah. You're definitely coming with us."

A/N: So there you have it! Hansel and Gretel have entered the fic! Next time: Loki has to deal with Fury and there is magic involved…or maybe not.

I hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you think. Only YOU can help me improve my writing.


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